Cartridge and tubular container trimming and refinishing apparatus for ink and label removal and method of use

ABSTRACT

A device for removing a thin outer layer from the surface of a cartridge or tubular container such as a caulk cartridge for removal of ink, contaminant, adhesive, or printed or stamped label from the outside of the cartridge. The apparatus includes cartridge hopper and a cartridge handling mandrel or plunger which automatically removes a cartridge from the hopper aligning same for insertion of the cartridge axially through the throat of a spinning ring which contains at least one and preferably a plurality of inwardly extending knifes. The spinning knife distal end trims or peels off the label, adhesive, ink, imperfections, or even a thin film from an outer layer of a selected thickness effectively reconditioning the cartridge for reuse to be filled with virgin material or to be used as uncontaminated re-ground material to be sold as scrap.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/687,211 filed on Apr. 20, 2012 which is incorporated herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of devices used to removecontaminating material from an outer surface of a cylindrical cartridge,container or tubular member such as a manufacturer's adhesive or inkedlabel to enabling a user to reuse the tubular member for insertion ofvirgin material an re-application of a new label or to provide means forremoving contaminants from the exterior surface of the tubular memberproviding a clean cartridge for reuse, regrind, or recycling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Caulk and adhesive manufacturers and packaging companies such as GeneralElectric, Corporation, Suncoco, Inc., or Dow Corning Corporation ofMidland, Mich. often package caulk, adhesive or sealants for use in acylindrical cartridge which are selected standard sizes and can be usedin a mechanical or pressurized caulk guns. A standard size cartridge forconsumer use holds one tenth of a gallon and measures about eight andone half inches long with a diameter of a little under two inches.During manufacture, an identification label is applied to the outside ofcartridges typically using a silk screen or off-set printing process. Inthe silk screening process, a fine mesh screen covered by a stencil isheld against the outside surface of the cartridge. The stencil is asheet of material which is impenetrable with respect to the ink used. Animage of the design to be printed onto the cartridge is removed from asheet of material to create the stencil. As the screen and stencil comeinto contact with the cartridge, ink is applied by a roller, brush,squeegee or the like to the surface of the stencil and the exposedscreen. The stencil allows only the ink passing through the open areasto contact and adhere to the cartridge.

Companies produce many thousands of cartridges per day so that even asmall percentage of rejects due to label application problems, incorrectlabel information, or mislabeling amount to thousands of cartridgeswhich must be either recycled, destroyed or reworked. Moreover, residualink or paper left on the cartridge must be separated from scarp even inregrind to avoid contamination of new cartridges. It can be seen thatthe resulting loss translates into thousands of dollars of expense perday. Additionally, there is a limit to the amount of waste cartridgesthat can be recycled into new cartridges as regrind due to the differentheat characteristics and chemical and physical properties of the regrindas compared with virgin feed material. Therefore, the unused andun-recyclable cartridges add to landfill volumes which costsmanufacturers and society in a variety of ways.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

The applicant is unaware of any patents or devices in existence whichinclude all of the elements and limitations included in the presentinvention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device for removing a thin outer layer of a cartridge or tubularcontainer such as a caulk cartridge to remove a manufacturers's ink oradhesive and label, whether the label is a separate piece of printedpaper with adhesive or a label which has been printed directly onto theoutside of the cartridge by silk screening or offset printing. Thedevice includes cartridge hopper and a cartridge handling mandrel orplunger which automatically removes a cartridge from the hopper aligningsame for insertion of the cartridge axially through the throat of aspinning ring which contains an inwardly extending knife edge. Thespinning knife edge trims or peels off the label, adhesive, ink,imperfections, or even a thin film from an outer layer of a selectedthickness effectively reconditioning the cartridge for reuse to befilled with virgin material or to be used as uncontaminated re-groundmaterial to be sold as scrap or blended into the feed for extrusion ofnew cartridges. the cartridge is ejected from the mandrel of the machinefor packaging and the contaminated scrap is removed via a vacuum system.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cartridgeand tubular container refinishing apparatus for ink and label removalcomprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of a device forremoval of a silk screen or offset printed label or a paper or filmlabel from the outside of the cartridge comprising, consisting of, orconsisting essentially of a base plate with a label removing unit and acartridge handling unit. The label removing unit includes a framecomprising two vertical end walls with a bushing type bearing rigidlyattached horizontally therebetween. The bushing has a cylinder rotatablyheld therewithin. The cylinder is open at both ends and is caused tospin by a motor driven belt driving engaged at a rear end thereof. Thecylinder has a knife-holding ring rigidly connected to the rear end facethereof. The cylinder and ring combination is configured to allow thecartridge to pass axially therethrough. The ring has at least one slotallowing at least one knife to be adjustably held therein. The ring hasat least one threaded aperture formed therein and at least one screwthreaded into the at least one threaded aperture for engaging andrigidly securing the knife blade. The knife has a label shaving edgeextending inward toward an axial center of the knife-holding ring. Theframe has a first cartridge hopper on one side adjacent to thehorizontal cylinder and a second cartridge hopper on an opposite side.The cartridge hoppers are configured so that a first axis of a cartridgeat the bottom of the first hopper is parallel to a second axis of acartridge at the bottom of the second hopper and a third axis of thehorizontal cylinder is level with, parallel to and centered between thefirst axis and the second axis. The label removing unit includes acartridge infeed chute rollingly feeding cartridges to the first hopperand the second hopper. The frame includes a shavings suction chutecomprising a housing extending forward from a rear face of the frame.The housing has an aperture which is coaxial with and slightly largerthan the open end of the knife ring. The housing extends downward to apassage leading to a suction system and then to a shavings collectionsystem. A cartridge handling unit is also rigidly attached to the baseplate. The cartridge handling unit includes two longitudinal linearactuators which are rigidly fixed to the base plate. The twolongitudinal linear actuators are capable of carrying a longitudinalcarriage plate forward towards the label removing unit or rearwards awayfrom the label removing unit. The longitudinal carriage plate has alateral linear actuator rigidly fixed to a top surface thereof. Thelateral linear actuator is capable of carrying a lateral carriage plateto an extreme left or an extreme right position. The lateral carriageplate has a mandrel support block rigidly mounted on the top surface.The block rigidly and removably holds two cartridge grasping mandrels.The mandrels are cylindrical, open ended at each end, and capable ofsliding axially inside and forming a friction fit with the cartridges.The first mandrel has a fourth axis. The second mandrel has a fifthaxis. The fourth and the fifth axes are parallel and level with oneanother and are spaced apart by the same distance as are the abovementioned first axis and the third axis. The free open ends of the firstand the second mandrels are spaced at the same distance from the centerof the mandrel support block. The lateral carriage plate also has twocartridge eject cylinders mounted thereon at a position rearward of themandrel holding block. The first eject cylinder is coaxial with thefirst mandrel and the second eject cylinder is coaxial with the secondmandrel. The pistons of the eject cylinders each have a cartridgepushing plunger attached at the free end thereof. The first of thepistons extends through the first mandrel and the second of the pistonsextends through the second mandrel. The free ends of the plungers areflush with the free open ends of the mandrels. The cartridge handlingunit is positioned on the base plate so that when the lateral carriageplate is in an extreme left position, the axis of the first mandrel iscoaxial with the axis of the cartridge at the bottom of the first hopperand the axis of the second mandrel is coaxial with the axis of thehorizontal cylinder. The cartridge handling unit is positioned on thebase plate so that when the lateral carriage plate is in an extremeright position, the axis of the first mandrel is coaxial with the axisof the horizontal cylinder and the axis of the second mandrel is coaxialwith the axis of the cartridge at the bottom of the second hopper. Thecartridge handling unit is positioned so that when the longitudinalcarriage plate is in an extreme rearward position, the free open ends ofthe mandrels are located rearward enough from a rear face of the knifering so that a cartridge being held on a mandrel moves freely past theknife ring as the lateral carriage plate moves left to right. Alsoincluded in the cartridge label remover is a belt motor startercontrolling the motor driving the belt which spins the horizontalcylinder and pneumatic solenoids and servo controls controlling thelongitudinal linear actuator, the lateral linear actuator, the firsteject cylinder and the second eject actuation. Sensors for the fullyforward and fully rearward positions of the longitudinal linear actuatorand for extreme left and right positions of the lateral linear actuatorare also included. An operator's panel includes a start switch and astop switch. A programmable controller controls the four pneumaticsolenoids or servo controller and the belt motor starter. Theprogrammable controller receives input signals from the fully forwardand fully rearward sensors, the extreme left and extreme right positionsensors, the start switch and the stop switch. The programmablecontroller contains a program with adjustable time delays andre-programmable logic for reacting to sensor signals and switches andenergizing and de-energizing outputs controlling the solenoids and themotor starter.

It is also contemplated that the mandrel can be inserted into a tube andthe mandrel rotated or spun wherein the mandrel and tube can be insertedinto a ring or annulus containing at least one knife, tooth or otherprojecting member in cooperative relationship with the external surfaceof the tube thereby shaving the ink or label from the tube.

It is also contemplated that the mandrel can comprise a telescopingportion of different sizes for cooperative engagement with annularcutting ring knives of corresponding diameters permitting processing ofmulti-diameter tubular members.

It is also contemplated that a computer controlled knife extended towardand away from the external surface of the tubular member mounted onto amandrel in order that a tubular member of different size diameterportions or nontubular members having tubular portions can be processedusing a sharp projecting member such as a tooth or knife to shave the aselected surface thereof.

It is contemplated that an expanding mandrel can be utilized with thepresent invention.

It is an object of this invention to provide a caulk cartridge labelremover which includes a cartridge hopper, a cartridge handling unit, alabel removing knife, and a shavings collection system.

It is an object of this invention to provide a caulk cartridge labelremover which can remove paper labels and adhesives, printer's ink, orother imperfections from the outer surface of a the tubular containerproviding a smooth surface for re-application of new labels whilemaintaining the structural integrity of the original tubular member.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a sharp blade,tooth, or other projection extending axially inwardly from a ring aselected distance to shave a selected thickness of material from theexternal surface of the tube.

It is an object of this invention to provide a caulk cartridge labelremover which removes a silk screen printed label or a film or paperlabel from a cartridge. When removing a film or paper label, the labeladhesive and small amount of the cartridge cylinder are also removed toleave a clean surface to which a new label may be reapplied.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatussized to remove ink, adhesive, paint, coatings, contamination, bumps,scratches, or other imperfections from the exterior surface of anycylindrical shaped product including bottles, cans, paste tubes,fiberglass, paper, or corrugated tubing or any size depending uponselection of the appropriate sized mandrel and knife assembly.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a mandrel orplunger having a slight taper on the free distal end for facilitatinginsertion of the mandrel into the tubular member to hold the tubularmember immobile during the shaving processes limiting movement to theaxial direction only.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a means forshaving removal of up to 1 millimeter of material from the exteriorsurface of the tubular member

It is another object of the present invention to provide a means forshaving removal from 0.001 to 1 millimeter of material from the exteriorsurface of the tubular member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a means forshaving removal from 0.01 to 1 millimeter of material from the exteriorsurface of the tubular member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a means forshaving removal from 0.1 to 1 millimeter of material from the exteriorsurface of the tubular member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a means forshaving removal of up to 10 millimeter of material from the exteriorsurface of the tubular member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus toremove contaminants from the external surface of a tubular containercomposed of plastic, cardboard, paper, aluminum, fiberglass, wood,carbon fiber, copper, or combinations thereof.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will beapparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention will be had uponreference to the following description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like partsthroughout the views wherein:

FIG. 1 is a left rear perspective view of the cartridge label remover.

FIG. 2 is a right perspective view of the cartridge label remover.

FIG. 3 is a view from the rear end looking into the throat 20 of thelabel removal unit.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the label removal unit showing the drivecylinder 23 and the cartridge hoppers 22 and 24.

FIG. 5 is a rear, close in view of the throat 20 and hoppers 24 and 22.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the knife ring 21 and knife 19.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the knife ring 21.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the actuator 33 extended in a cartridgeejecting position.

FIG. 9 is a partial left front view of the cartridge handler 8particularly showing the linear actuator 40 and associated elements.

FIG. 10 is a right front view of the label removal unit 6.

FIG. 11 is a right perspective view of the label removal unit 6.

FIG. 12 is a right rear view of the shavings suction housing 80.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the controller 100, motor starter 101 andsolenoids 102-108.

FIG. 14 shows is a front view of the cartridge label remover includingthe programmable controller.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the shavings collection system 132.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of a preferred knife ring 21 with knives 19.

FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the label removal unit 6taken along the axis of the horizontal cylinder 23.

FIG. 18 is a rear view of the scoring ring 200.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing tube feed and accumulation as an exampleof the conditions that may exist as the tubes are entering the machineand the tube present device is a component or assembly, used todetermine if the tube receiving area has an adequate number of tubes.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing tube type detection as an example of theconditions that may exist during detection of the tube type with aninspection camera or other device to ensure that the tubes being loadedmatch the machine set up and that there are various tube types that havethe same visual appearance, but differ in wall thickness, material typeand color.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing foil seal detection as an example of theprocess conditions that may exist to detect and remove foil form a tube,where upon detecting foil, that particular tube is tracked as it movesthrough the process into the foil seal removal apparatus to remove thefoil from the tube for tube or plastic reuse.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing surface removal ink removal as anexample of the ink removal process wherein a single mandrel is used orif multiple mandrels are used, for example two mandrels, one mandrelwill pick up a tube as the second mandrel removes the ink, and if ink isdetected after the ink removal process, the tube can be processed again.

FIG. 23 is a continuation flow chart of FIG. 22 showing surface removalink removal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a caulkcartridge label remover 10 which peels a thin layer of the outer surfaceof the cartridge away to remove the label. Whether the label is printedon by silk screening or is a film or paper label which has been appliedto the outside of the cartridge with adhesive, the label material and athin layer of the cartridge is removed from the cartridge by a knife 19which is held within a spinning ring 21 as the cartridge 16 is movedaxially through the throat 20 of the ring 21.

A typical caulk cartridge 16 comprises a hollow cylinder which is openon one end and includes a tapered applicator tip on the other end. Thecylinder has a length of about 8.5 inches, an outer diameter of about1.937 to 1.969 inches and an inner diameter of about 1.875 to 1.953inches. The actual diameters vary with the particular brand ofingredient to be manufactured.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge handling unit 8 contains alateral carriage plate 12, wherein the word ‘lateral’ refers to thedirection of movement of the plate, with two cartridge holding mandrels14 and 18, two cartridge eject cylinders 32 and 34, one linear actuator40 to cause lateral movement of lateral carriage plate 12, alongitudinal carriage plate 41, wherein the word ‘longitudinal’ refersto the direction of movement of that plate, two linear actuators 46 and48 which carry the longitudinal carriage plate 41 forward and back, anda base plate 43 onto which are mounted the two linear actuators 46 and48. Linear actuators 46 and 48 are preferably rodless pneumaticcylinders.

Carriage plate 12 includes a block 70 rigidly mounted on a top surfacethereof. Two mandrels 14 and 18 which are hollow horizontal parallelcartridge holding cylinders are slightly tapered with the smallerdiameter at the free open end. The mandrels are rigidly and removablyattached to and extend forward from the front side of block 70. The freeends of mandrels 14 and 18 are open and have an outer diameter of about0.060 inch less than the diameter of a selected cartridge 16 to beprocessed. The outer diameters of the mandrels 14 and 18 increaseslightly along their length so that when a cartridge is pushed ontothem, a friction fit is obtained between the cartridge 16 and themandrels 14 or 18. Two pneumatic cylinders 32 and 34 are coaxial withmandrels 14 and 18 respectively and have pistons with plungers 33 and 35mounted onto and extending from the ends of the pistons. The plungers 33and 35 extend forwardly into both mandrels 14 and 18 and are flush withthe front openings of mandrels 14 and 18 when cylinders 32 and 34 areretracted. Both pneumatic cylinders 32 and 34 are mounted on plate 12 tothe rear of block 70. When a cartridge 16 is pushed fully onto one ofmandrels 14 or 18 and the corresponding pneumatic cylinder 32 or 34 isactuated, the corresponding plunger 33 or 35 pushes or ejects cartridge16 fully off of mandrel 14 or 18.

Lateral carriage plate 12 is rigidly attached to the linear actuator 40,which is preferably a rodless pneumatic cylinder. Linear actuator 40carries carriage plate 12 laterally from a left extreme position to aright extreme position and back again to obtain, process and ejectcartridges. A rail 42 and a rail follower 142 serve as a guide forcarriage plate 12 to ensure wobble free linear motion of carriage plate12, along with the attached block 70, cartridge holding mandrels 14 and18, pneumatic cylinders 32 and 34 and plungers 33 and 35. Rail 42 isrigidly attached to longitudinal carriage plate 41 parallel to thelateral or left to right direction of movement and rail follower 142 isrigidly attached to lateral carriage plate 12. At each end of linearactuator 40 are end of stroke sensors 72 at the left extreme positionand 73 at the right extreme position. (Sensor 73 is not shown.) Thesesensors provide positional feedback and cause the next step in the labelremoval process to occur, as will be more clearly explained later.

Linear actuator 40 is rigidly connected to and carried by carriage plate41. Carriage plate 41 is, in turn, mounted on and carried longitudinally(that is in a forward and backward direction) by linear actuators 46 and48. Linear actuators 46 and 48 are rigidly attached to the top surfaceof base plate 43. End of stroke sensors 50 and 52 give positionalfeedback for linear actuators 46 and 48. To ensure wobble free forwardand backward movement, a rail 44 is rigidly connected to base plate 43parallel to the direction of forward and backward movement, referred toherein as longitudinal, and a rail follower 144 is connected to thebottom surface of longitudinal carriage plate 41.

End of stroke sensors 50, 52, 72 and 73 are preferably magnetic switcheswhich sense the position of the internal piston within the linearactuators. Alternate embodiments of the present invention include end ofstroke sensors which are electronic proximity probes or simple limitswitches.

It can be seen that the cartridge holding mandrels 14 and 18 are causedto move laterally by linear actuator 40 and longitudinally by linearactuators 46 and 48 in a horizontal two dimensional space.

Also attached to base plate 43 is the label removing unit 6 whichincludes a frame 77 comprising two vertical end walls 78 and 80 and abushing type bearing 76 rigidly attached therebetween, as seen in FIGS.1, 3, 4, 10 and 11. Shown in FIGS. 3-5 and 10, a cylinder 23 is causedto spin within the bushing 76 by a motor driven belt 54 which isdrivingly connected at the rear end of drive cylinder 23. Drive belt 54is driven by pulley and motor combination 55. Drive cylinder 23 ishollow and has an inner diameter of about 0.100 inches greater than theoutside diameter of a caulk cartridge 16. Knife ring 21 is rigidlyattached to the rear end face of drive cylinder 23 by four screws 25, asshown in FIG. 5. As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 16, the knife 19 extendsinward from knife ring 21 and is removably locked within the slot 60 byscrew 63. Two knife slots 60 are available so that, optionally, one ortwo knives 19 may by used. The central opening of knife ring 21 providesa throat 20 through which a cartridge is coaxially thrust during thelabel removal process. The preferred knife ring 21 in FIG. 16 includes acutaway 164, rather than a slot 60, for easier attachment and adjustmentof knives 19.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3-5, cartridge hoppers 22 and 24 are mounted oneither side of frame 77. FIG. 1 shows an infeed chute 26 which providesa ramp down which cartridges 16 roll to the enter hoppers 22 and 24.Cartridges at the bottom of hoppers 22 and 24 are at the same elevationas the infeed throat 20 of label removal unit 6. The label removal unit6 is rigidly fixed to base plate 43 in a position which is adjacent tothe mandrels 14 and 18 such that, when carriage plat 12 is at theextreme left position, mandrel 18 is in coaxial alignment with thecartridge at the bottom of hopper 24 and mandrel 14 is in coaxialalignment with the center of throat 20. Further, when carriage plat 12is at the extreme right position, mandrel 18 is in coaxial alignmentwith the center throat 20 and mandrel 14 is in coaxial alignment with acartridge at the bottom of hopper 22.

With belt 54 driving cylinder 23, knife ring 21 and knife 19, mandrels14 and 18 alternately carry cartridges 16 axially through throat 20 sothat knife 19 peels a thin outer layer off of cartridge 16.

A shavings suction chute 82 surrounds the knife ring 21 and extendsdownward to the base plate 43. A passage 84 extends through the baseplate 43 to a suction hose 120 which leads to the shavings collectionsystem for collecting shavings which are produced in the label removalprocess. Knife ring 21 is attached to the rear face of suction chute 82with screws inserted into apertures 62 and includes a milled outcrescent shaped opening 64 to enhance the expulsion of shavings producedby knife edge 66. Three knife edged pins 83 are mounted on the marginaledge of throat 20 of suction chute 82. The sharp edges of pins 83 pointinward toward the center of throat 20 and are located equidistant fromone another with the sharp edges located so that as a mandrel pushes acartridge 16 through throat 20, the sharp edges score three lines alongthe length of cartridge 16. The score lines cause the shavings to breakinto pieces no longer than ⅓ of the circumference of cartridge 16.Longer shavings cause jams in the throat 20 and suction chute 82. Thespinning knife 19 peels a thin layer from the cartridge 16 movingaxially through throat 20 and the shavings are sucked down throughsuction chute 82 to a shavings collection container.

A preferred embodiment of the label remover includes a scoring ring 200as shown in FIG. 18 which contains a plurality of inward pointing knifeedges 202 which score the cartridge 16 as it passes through the labelremover unit 6. This embodiment doesn't include knife edged pins 83. Thescoring ring 200 is attached to the rear face of suction chute 82 withscrews inserted into apertures 204. Scoring ring 200 is coaxial withhorizontal cylinder 23.

FIG. 15 shows the shavings collection system 132 which includes asuction pump and cannister 122, a hose 120, a waste bin 134, and a trapdoor system for automatically emptying the cannister 122. Cannister 122is an upright cylinder which is open at the bottom. Sliding door 124slides in channel frame 126. Piston 130 is connected to sliding door124. Pneumatic cylinder 128 extends piston 130 to close door 124 whilethe system is running and retracts piston 130 to open door 124 to emptythe contents of cannister 122 into bin 134. Suction produced by suctionpump and cannister 122 pulls door 124 up tightly to seal the opening ofcannister 122 against leakage.

A programmable controller 100, shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, controlspneumatic solenoids 102-108 which activate the linear actuators 40, 46and 48 and eject cylinders 32 and 34. FIGS. 1 and 13 show that solenoid106 controls pneumatic lines 27 and 28 to extend and retract ejectcylinder 32. Also, solenoid 108 controls pneumatic lines 29 and 30 toextend and retract eject cylinder 34. FIGS. 9 and 13 show solenoid 102controlling lines 92 and 94 to cause linear actuator 41 to move carriageplate 12 to the left or right. FIGS. 2 and 13 show solenoid 104controlling pneumatic lines 86 and 88 to cause linear actuators 46 and48 to move longitudinal carriage plate 41, along with linear actuator40, carriage plate 12 and mandrels 14 and 18, in a forward and rearwarddirection. Controller 100 also controls motor starter 101 to cause beltmotor 55 to drive cylinder 23 and thus to spin knife 19. Inputs to thecontroller include the end of stroke sensors 50, 52, 72 and 73 for thelinear actuators and the start switch 114 and stop 112 switch onoperator panel 110. Various time delays for linear actuators and ejectcylinders are adjustable and cartridge processing speed can also beadjusted. The logic program in the programmable controller can beadjusted and changed as desired.

One embodiment of the present invention uses hydraulic cylinders insteadof rodless pneumatic cylinders or standard pneumatic cylinders toprovide linear motion of the mandrels 14 and 18, of the carriage plate12 and of the eject plungers 33. Another embodiment employs servo motorswith appropriate linkage and lever arms to provide linear motion of themandrels 14 and 18, of the carriage plate 12 and of the eject plungers33. Still another embodiment contains mechanical plungers driven by acam instead of rodless pneumatic cylinders or standard pneumaticcylinders to provide linear motion of the mandrels 14 and 18, of thecarriage plate 12 and of the eject plungers 33. A combination ofhydraulic cylinders, servo motors with appropriate linkage and leverarms, and mechanical plungers driven by a cam are used to provide linearmotion of the mandrels 14 and 18, of the carriage plate 12 and of theeject plungers 33 in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 17, still another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, includes a label remover unit 6 wherein horizontal cylinder23 is rotatably held within roller bearings 210 and 220 which, in turnare housed within cylindrical housing 276. The two vertical end walls 78and 80 are attached to base plate 43 and rigidly support housing 276.Two seals 212 and 222 prevent the leakage of bearing lubricant from eachend of housing 276. Further, horizontal cylinder 23 includes an integralpulley member 240, at the front end, to be driven by belt 54. Knives 19are adjustably attached to knife ring 21.

The sequence of operation of the cartridge label remover 10 is asfollows:

-   -   Initial conditions: The carriage 12 is in the full reverse and        left location ready to move mandrels 14 and 18 forward:    -   a. Load cartridges onto cartridge chute 26 and into hoppers 22        and 24.    -   b. Press the Start switch 114. This causes pulley and motor        combination 55 to run which causes the knife ring 21 to spin.    -   c. Solenoid 104 energizes to cause linear actuators 46 and 48 to        move carriage 12 and thus mandrels 14 and 18, forward.    -    Mandrel 18 enters the cartridge at the bottom of hopper 24.    -    Mandrel 14 moves axially though throat 20.    -   d. Solenoid 104 de-energizes to cause linear actuator 46 and 48        to move carriage 12, mandrel 14, mandrel 18 and the cartridge at        the bottom of hopper 24 to the extreme rear position. (Mandrel        18 forms a friction fit with and thus holds the cartridge.)    -   e. Solenoid 102 energizes to cause linear actuator 40 to move        carriage 12 to the extreme right position. (Now, mandrel 18 is        axially aligned with throat 20 and mandrel 14 is axially aligned        with the cartridge at the bottom of hopper 22.)    -   f. Solenoid 104 energizes to cause linear actuators 46 and 48 to        move carriage 12 forward. As mandrel 18 moves forward, the        cartridge on mandrel 18 is moving through the thread knife edges        83 and spinning knife ring 21. Knife 19 shaves off and removes        the outer skin with the label from the cartridge. The shavings        are sucked down through the shavings chute 82 and through        passage 84 to the shavings collection system. At the end of the        forward stroke, eject solenoid 108 energizes to extend cylinder        34 which pushes the de-labeled cartridge off of mandrel 18 to        eject the cartridge into a bin. Simultaneously, mandrel 14 has        entered the cartridge at the bottom of hopper 22. After a time        delay, solenoid 108 de-energizes to retract the eject piston and        plunger.    -   g. Solenoid 104 de-energizes to cause linear actuators 46 and 48        to move carriage 12 to the extreme rear position. Mandrel 18 is        now empty and mandrel 14 has the cartridge which was picked up        at the bottom of hopper 22.    -   h. Solenoid 102 de-energizes, causing carriage 12 to move to the        extreme left hand position.    -   i. Solenoid 104 energizes to cause linear actuators 46 and 48 to        move carriage 12 forward. As mandrel 14 moves forward, the        cartridge on mandrel 14 is moving through knife edges 83 and        spinning knife ring 21. Knife 19 shaves off and removes the        outer skin with the label from the cartridge. The shavings are        sucked down through the shavings chute 82 and through passage 84        to the shavings collection system. At the end of the forward        stroke, eject solenoid 106 energizes to extend cylinder 32 which        pushes the de-labeled cartridge off of mandrel 14 to eject the        cartridge into a bin. Simultaneously, mandrel 18 has entered the        cartridge at the bottom of hopper 24. After a time delay,        solenoid 108 de-energizes to retract the eject piston and        plunger.    -   j. Return to step 4.

Pushing the Stop button at any time during the process causes thecarriage 12 to return to the extreme rear position and stop afterprocessing the cartridge which is in process. Pushing an Emergency Stopbutton causes the process to stop immediately and removes all air fromall pneumatic actuators.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an additional sensorsuch as a camera would inspect all incoming cartridges to ensure that acartridge of the wrong type or color is kicked out rather than passingthrough the process. Further, a quality control sensor such as a secondcamera inspects the finished cartridge to ensure that the entire labelhas been removed. If part of the label remains, that cartridge isautomatically reprocessed.

It is anticipated that another embodiment of the present invention hasmultiple label removal units 6, each with two hoppers, and multiplecartridge handling units 8, and multiple cartridge handling units allconnected in tandem to increase throughput.

It is further anticipated that still another embodiment contains onelabel removal unit with only one hopper and that the cartridge handlingunit 8 has only one mandrel. While this embodiment processes, at most,one half of the cartridges which can be processed by a unit with twohoppers and two mandrels in the same amount of time, this label removeris less complicated, has fewer moving parts and is less expensive. Aflowchart follows, on the next five pages, for such a unit which alsoincludes more quality detection sensors such as cameras and a devicewhich checks for the undesirable presence of a foil seal which isnormally adhered into place inside the cartridge at the closed endbefore filling the cartridge with caulk or adhesive. In the event that acartridge includes such a piece of foil, that cartridge will be removedfrom the process.

The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness ofunderstanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understoodtherefrom, for modification will become obvious to those skilled in theart upon reading this disclosure and may be made upon departing from thespirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly,this invention is not intended to be limited by the specificexemplification presented herein above. Rather, what is intended to becovered is within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A cartridge and tubular container refinishing apparatus,comprising: a base plate; a label removing unit being rigidly attachedto said base plate, said label removing unit including a framecomprising two vertical end walls with a bushing type bearing rigidlyattached horizontally therebetween, said bushing having a cylinderrotatably held therewithin, said cylinder being open at both ends andbeing caused to spin by a motor driven belt drivingly engaged at a frontend thereof, said cylinder having a knife-holding ring rigidly connectedto a rear end face thereof, said cylinder and said knife ring beingconfigured to allow said cartridge to pass axially therethrough, saidring having at least one slot allowing at least one knife to beadjustably held therein, said ring having at least one threaded apertureformed therein and at least one screw threaded into said at least onethreaded aperture for engaging and rigidly securing said knife, saidknife having a label shaving edge extending inward toward an axialcenter of said knife-holding ring, said frame having a first cartridgehopper on one side adjacent to said horizontal cylinder and a secondcartridge hopper on an opposite side, said cartridge hoppers beingconfigured so that a first axis of a cartridge at the bottom of saidfirst hopper is parallel to a second axis of a cartridge at the bottomof said second hopper and a third axis of said horizontal cylinder islevel with, parallel to and centered between said first axis and saidsecond axis, said label removing unit including a cartridge infeed chuterollingly feeding cartridges to said first hopper and said secondhopper, said frame including a shavings suction chute comprising ahousing extending rearward from a rear face of said frame, said housinghaving an aperture formed therein which is coaxial with and slightlylarger than the open end of said knife ring, said housing extendingdownward to a passage leading to a suction system and then to a shavingscollection system; a cartridge handling unit being rigidly attached tosaid base plate, said cartridge handling unit including two longitudinallinear actuators being rigidly fixed to said base plate, said twolongitudinal linear actuators being capable of carrying a longitudinalcarriage plate forward towards said label removal unit or rearwards awayfrom said label removal unit, said longitudinal carriage plate having alateral linear actuator rigidly fixed to a top surface thereof, saidlateral linear actuator carrying a lateral carriage plate to an extremeleft or an extreme right position, said lateral carriage plate having amandrel support block rigidly mounted on a top surface thereof, saidblock rigidly and removably holding two cartridge grasping mandrels,said mandrels extending forward from a front face of said block, saidmandrels being cylindrical, open ended at each end, and capable ofsliding axially inside and forming a friction fit with said cartridges,a first mandrel having a fourth axis, a second mandrel having a fifthaxis, said fourth and said fifth axes being parallel and level with oneanother and being spaced apart by the same distance as are the firstaxis and the third axis, the free open ends of said first and saidsecond mandrels being spaced at a same distance from a center of saidmandrel support block, said lateral carriage plate also having twocartridge eject cylinders mounted thereon at a position rearward of saidmandrel holding block, a first eject cylinder being coaxial with saidfirst mandrel, a second eject cylinder being coaxial with said secondmandrel, the piston rods of said eject cylinders each having a cartridgepushing plunger attached at the free end thereof, a first of said pistonrods extending through said first mandrel, and a second of said pistonrods extending through said second mandrel, the free end of saidplungers being flush with the free open ends of said mandrels, saidcartridge handling unit being positioned on said base plate so that whensaid lateral carriage plate is at an extreme left position, said fourthaxis of said first mandrel is coaxial with said first axis of saidcartridge at the bottom of said first hopper and said fifth axis of saidsecond mandrel is coaxial with said third axis of said horizontalcylinder, said cartridge handling unit being positioned on said baseplate so that when said lateral carriage plate is in an extreme rightposition, said fourth axis of said first mandrel is coaxial with saidthird axis of said horizontal cylinder and said fifth axis of saidsecond mandrel is coaxial with said second axis of said cartridge at thebottom of said second hopper, said cartridge handling unit beingpositioned so that when said longitudinal carriage plate is in anextreme rearward position, said free open ends of said mandrels arelocated rearward enough from a rear face of said knife ring so that acartridge being held one of said mandrels moves freely past said knifering as said lateral carriage plate moves left to right; a belt motorstarter controlling said motor driving said belt to spin said horizontalcylinder; a first pneumatic solenoid controlling said longitudinallinear actuator; a second pneumatic solenoid controlling said laterallinear actuator; a third pneumatic solenoid controlling said first ejectcylinder; a fourth pneumatic solenoid controlling second eject cylinder;a fully forward sensor providing positional feedback for saidlongitudinal linear actuators; a fully rearward sensor providingpositional feedback for said longitudinal linear actuators; a fully leftsensor providing positional feedback for said lateral linear actuator; afully right sensor providing positional feedback for said lateral linearactuator; an operator's panel including a start switch and a stopswitch; and a programmable controller controlling said first, saidsecond, said third and said fourth pneumatic solenoids, and said beltmotor starter, said programmable controller receiving input signals fromsaid fully forward sensor, said fully rearward sensor, said fully leftsensor, said fully right sensor, said start switch and said stop switch,said programmable controller containing a program with adjustable timedelays and re-programmable logic for reacting to sensor signals andswitches and energizing and de-energizing outputs controlling saidsolenoids and said motor starter.
 2. The cartridge and tubular containerrefinishing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said longitudinal linearactuators and said lateral linear actuator comprise rodless pneumaticcylinders.
 3. The cartridge and tubular container refinishing apparatusof claim 1 wherein a first guide rail is rigidly fixed onto said baseplate parallel to the direction of movement of said longitudinalcarriage plate, a first rail follower is in sliding engagement with saidfirst guide rail and said first rail follower is rigidly fixed to saidlongitudinal carriage plate.
 4. The cartridge and tubular containerrefinishing apparatus of claim 1 wherein a second guide rail is rigidlyfixed onto said top surface of said longitudinal carriage plate parallelto the direction of movement of said lateral carriage plate, a secondrail follower is in sliding engagement with said second guide rail andsaid second rail follower is rigidly fixed to said lateral carriageplate.
 5. The cartridge and tubular container refinishing apparatus ofclaim 1 further including at least two knife edges attached to an insideedge of said aperture of said shavings suction chute, said at least twoknife edges pointing radially inward toward a center of said aperture,said knife edges configured to score an outer thickness of saidcartridge as either of said mandrels carries said cartridge through saidaperture.
 6. The cartridge and tubular container refinishing apparatusof claim 1 further containing a ring including at least two knife edgespointing radially inward attached to a rear face of said shavingssuction chute, said at least two knife edges pointing radially inwardtoward a center of an axis of said horizontal cylinder, said knife edgesconfigured to score an outer thickness of said cartridge as either ofsaid mandrels carries said cartridge through said aperture.
 7. Acartridge and tubular container shaving apparatus, comprising: a baseplate; a label removing unit attaching to said base plate, said labelremoving unit comprising a frame including a bushing having a cylinderrotatably held therein, said cylinder being open at both ends andincluding means for rotating said cylinder, said cylinder including aknife holding ring connecting to a rear end face thereof, said cylinderand said knife holding ring configured to allow said cartridge to passaxially there through, said knife holding ring having at least oneopening allowing at least one knife to be adjustably held therein in aselected position having a label shaving edge extending inward toward anaxial center of said knife holding ring, said frame including at leastone cartridge hopper in cooperative engagement with said cylinder and acartridge infeed chute feeding a cartridge to said at least one hopper;and a cartridge handling unit mounting to said base plate, saidcartridge handling unit comprising at least one linear actuator capableof carrying a carriage plate forward towards said label removal unit orrearwards away from said label removal unit, said carriage plateincluding means for removably holding at least one cartridge graspingmandrel extending forward therefrom, said mandrel sliding axiallyengaging an inner surface of a cartridge, said carriage plate includingmeans for ejecting at least one cartridge therefrom mounted in a coaxialrelationship with said mandrel, and said cartridge movably held by saidmandrel through said knife holding ring.
 8. The cartridge and tubularcontainer shaving apparatus of claim 7, including a shaving collectionsystem in flow communication with said label removal unit.
 9. Thecartridge and tubular container shaving apparatus of claim 7, saidmandrel comprising a hollow cylinder slightly tapered with a smallerdiameter at a free open end with an outer diameter increasing slightlyalong its length for providing a friction fit with an inner surface ofsaid cartridge.
 10. The cartridge and tubular container shavingapparatus of claim 7, including at least one end of stroke sensorsensing the position of an internal piston within a linear actuator forlaterally moving said carriage plate.
 11. The cartridge and tubularcontainer shaving apparatus of claim 7, wherein said actuator consistsof one of a magnetic switch, an electronic proximity probe, a limitswitch, and combinations thereof.
 12. The cartridge and tubularcontainer shaving apparatus of claim 7, wherein the linear motion ofsaid mandrel is provided by a mechanical plunger driven by one of a cam,a rodless pneumatic cylinder, a standard pneumatic cylinder, a hydrauliccylinder, a servo motor with linkage and lever arms, and combinationsthereof.
 13. The cartridge and tubular container shaving apparatus ofclaim 7, said label shaving edge removing from 0.001 to 10.0 millimetersfrom an exterior surface of said cartridge.
 14. The cartridge andtubular container shaving apparatus of claim 7, including at least onelateral linear actuator for moving said carriage plate to the left orright of a selected position.
 15. The cartridge and tubular containershaving apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for ejecting at leastone cartridge therefrom mounted in a coaxial relationship with saidmandrel comprises an eject cylinder aligned with and mounting rearwardand coaxial with said cartridge handling mandrel, said eject cylinderincluding a piston with a pushing plunger attaching to a free endthereof for extending through the cartridge holding mandrel and pushingthe cartridge off of said cartridge handling mandrel.
 16. The cartridgeand tubular container shaving apparatus of claim 7, including a secondknife holding a ring of a smaller diameter for shaving a thicker layerof material from said cartridge.
 17. The cartridge and tubular containershaving apparatus of claim 7, said cartridge handling mandrel having atapered free distal end for facilitating insertion and removal of saidcartridge.
 18. The cartridge and tubular container shaving apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein said cartridge holding mandrel comprises an outerdiameter which decreases in diameter slightly along its length from itsproximal end providing a friction fit between said inner surface of saidcartridge and an outer surface of said cartridge handling mandrel uponpushing said cartridge onto said cartridge holding mandrel.
 19. Thecartridge and tubular container shaving apparatus of claim 7, said labelshaving edge removing from 0.001 to 1.0 millimeters of material from anexterior surface of said cartridge.
 20. A cartridge and tubularcontainer shaving apparatus, comprising: a base plate; a label removingunit attaching to said base plate, said label removing unit comprising aframe including a bushing having a cylinder rotatably held therein, saidcylinder being open at both ends, said cylinder including a knifeholding ring spaced apart from in cooperative engagement therewith, saidcylinder and said knife holding ring configured to allow said cartridgeto pass axially therethrough, said knife holding ring having at leastone opening allowing at least one knife to be adjustably held therein ina selected position having a label shaving edge extending inward towardan axial center of said knife holding ring, means for rotating saidknife holding ring extending coaxially around said cylinder, said frameincluding at least one cartridge hopper in cooperative engagement withsaid cylinder and a cartridge infeed chute feeding a cartridge to saidat least one hopper; and a cartridge handling unit mounting to said baseplate, said cartridge handling unit comprising at least one linearactuator capable of carrying a carriage plate forward towards said labelremoval unit or rearwards away from said label removal unit, saidcarriage plate including means for removably holding at least onecartridge grasping mandrel extending forward therefrom, said mandrelsliding axially engaging an inner surface of a cartridge, said carriageplate including means for ejecting at least one cartridge therefrommounted in a coaxial relationship with said mandrel, and said cartridgemovably held by said mandrel through said knife holding ring.